A few nights ago, Billy, my son/personal chef, made us the juiciest, most delicious, and most unhealthy bacon cheeseburgers. The flavour of these burgers was so rich and powerful that there was no way that a vegetable could compete on the dinner plate. Even the potato wedges (normally a fan-favourite) I made to with them, went untouched.
I needed to find a way to get in their daily dose of veggies and the clock was ticking.
It was then that I had my light bulb moment: Dessert! You see, earlier in the week, my close friend, Sara, had brought me a chocolate cupcake that she swore contained cake mix and pureed pumpkin…and nothing else. For real! And let me tell you, these cupcakes were just as moist and chocolaty as a traditional cupcake.
I searched the web for the recipe and as it turns out, they are somewhat of an urban legend. I could not believe how many women-from professional chefs to amateur food bloggers-had heard about it, tried it, and subsequently, posted it on their sites. Therefore, I cannot take any credit for the “original” version of this perfect dessert. But what I will take credit for is kicking up the health factor even more by adding in a second, undetectable vegetable.
Not only are these cupcakes delicious, but depending on the mix you purchase, they are also vegan and nut-free. And unlike other popular urban legends involving adopting dogs that are actually Mexican sewer rats and hotel workers doing unmistakable things with your toothbrush, they are one thing you won’t giving to your children over and over again.
Makes approx. 24 cupcakes.
Ingredients:
1 box of Devil’s food cake mix (it MUST be this flavour but any brand with do)
15 oz (just shy of two cups) of pureed pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
1 small zucchini, shredded
Directions:
Throw all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix like crazy. It will seem too dry at first and you will be tempted to add more liquid, but don’t! The end result will be thicker than traditional cake mix but it will be moist and it will work.
Bake according to the guidelines on the back of the box of the mix. Be warned: one thing you will notice is that because they are so moist, if you normally use a toothpick to test for doneness, in this recipe it will never come out clean. Instead, look for moist crumbs sticking to the toothpick.
We did it! We created a dessert that is so full of healthy goodness that your kids will think they won by getting to eat dessert without eating all their veggies…or so they think. How about we let them have this victory and keep this little secret to ourselves?
ChickyMara says
You’re a genius, sister, if not for creating this recipe, for sharing it with all of us. Thank goodness this urban legend is true!